Rising to the challenge

So, it's unlikely I'll ever compete in a triathlon but I've decided to compose my own duathalon. I have extended my challenge and will be donning a wetsuit to join hundreds of other open water mad swimmers in the Great London Swim. On 26 May I will take the plunge into the Royal Victoria Dock and participate (substitute the word compete) in the biggest open water swim in the south of England which is predicted to attract 5,000 swimmers who will be organised into waves of approximately 300 starting the mile long course every half an hour.

A fortnight later and once my lungs have expelled any Thames water I may ingest in the effort, I will jump (well, perhaps not exactly jump, but my enthusiasm knows no bounds) on my bike and pedal the 100k Nightrider 2012 course around London.

I'm excited. Why wouldn't I be? Blue green algae worries me not in the least. I am accompanying my dearest friend as her body is pushed to the limits as she courageously battles the alien inside her. My body is to face it's own challenge. I am on a mission and will push myself to the max: to raise a serious amount of money in aid of two very worthy causes - Breast Cancer Care and Marie Curie. Please don't think twice to support this seemingly mad venture.

Please support my fundraising efforts:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/riding-against-cancer

Comments

Table. Apple. Penny.

Whilst there were several places I might have been that morning, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. The practitioner from the Memory Service arrived promptly. I liked her instantly. Mum was nervous. I think I was a little, too. It's been a difficult year. "It's Friday, it's the fourteenth of December and I'm at home..." No problems there. CAMCOG, or the Cambridge Cognitive Examination is a thorough assessment tool used to assess the extent of extent of dementia, and to assess the level of cognitive impairment. The standardised measure assesses orientation, language, memory, praxis, attention, abstract thinking, perception and calculation. "Table. Apple. Penny." Three everyday items that were introduced at one point, and then referred to again later on. Again, Mum was able to recall each. I am reminded that the only three certainties in life are old age, sickness and death. Not

Glass half full? Glass half empty? Or perhaps the glass is broken

I am, constitutionally, a glass half empty gal. I will always first acknowledge what I don't have, what I have lost, and what it is that I am seeking. I tend to overlook my strengths, concentrating only on those bits of me that are underdeveloped or weak. I refer to myself as a realist, but in doing so compliment myself and insult those who genuinely are simply realistic. My modus operandi is to identify what's not working and acknowledge this before seeing more clearly what functions perfectly well. This has its place: I edit others' written work pretty well. My fastidious attention to detail serves me, and the author. Accuracy counts, for me and I have an excellent memory. I can remember a great many of my sessions with clients verbatim. Even this asset is something I can, and do, diminish the true value of, by concentrating on 'I should have said...' or 'why didn't.... occur to me during the session?' Earlier this week I was crudely

Pausing in the sunshine

And so, chemo is over. My best friend's diary has been chocker... Line cleans, blood tests, scans and 18 weekly doses of the gruelling treatment itself. Summer seems at last to have arrived and with it, we hope, some time, peace and space. She is, we acknowledged over a rather yummy luncheon served to us beneath the beautiful canopy of creepers and climbers at Petersham Nurseries, an inspiration. A small group of us gathered to celebrate her forthcoming marriage. The sun's rays joined the warmth we all have for this very special woman. Warmth and, in my case at least, pride. It is the greatest privilege to call this woman my best friend. She continues to epitomise my understanding of grace. Our bodies are fragile things. Our minds are frailer still. In her composure and wisdom, she possesses an outlook I can only aspire to adopt. From you, dear Charlotte, I learn and I learn and I learn. The only person who is educated is the one who has

The Reward is the Journey

Search This Blog